Arlington Autumn Small Business Portrait Photography | Musician and Composer Ruth Shyu

Arlington Autumn Small Business Portrait Photography | Musician and Composer Ruth Shyu

I've created portraits for several entrepreneurs, professionals and musicians lately, and usually they're about my age in their 20s or 30s. Often, their careers or new businesses are still fairly young and they're trying lots of new things and dreaming big. Everything is new and exciting (and often scary)! Working with Ruth was different in a very cool way because she's so full of experiences, having moved across the country and put in years of hard work honing her craft, building her skills, and being her own boss. She's faced and overcome some significant obstacles over the years, so I really cherished my time with her and the opportunity to hear her stories, while talking about what it means to be creative for a living.

This was just another example for me of why it's SO important as a creative person and/or entrepreneur to be in community with other creatives and entrepreneurs! The support we can offer each other and the special ways we can lift each other up are priceless. 

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Moving House and Creating A Home | Boston Day In The Life / Professional Portrait Photography Testimonials

Moving House and Creating A Home | Boston Day In The Life / Professional Portrait Photography Testimonials

Disclaimer: I try to keep my personal "Wholehearted" posts separate from my photography-specific posts, but today's post is a little blending of the two…because sometimes, personal life and work life blend a little, and I think that's ok. So here's what I've been up to:

Andy and I spent the entire week the last week of July piling boxes in our car and taking trips to our lovely new apartment, all while sweating our faces off! It was an exhausting week, but waking up to my favorite person in a space that it finally feels right to call "home" is so worth it. We couldn't have done it without the help of some awesome friends, and without the courage to help each other take the leap into a big life change!

Since my life for the past week has been consumed with moving house and I've barely had time to get any new photos together for a more visual post, I thought I would share some awesome testimonials I received after a couple recent photo sessions! Everyone loves a good, sincere compliment, but I think these testimonials are even more than thatthey show what the actual experience of a photo session is like, and why the investment in yourself (and sometimes your family too) is so worth it.

In contrast to the first section of today's post, houses and apartments come and go, but your personal story, and your family's interwoven stories, really are forever. As people, our internal memories, thoughts and feelings can be fleeting, but the visual and physical keepsakes of photographs solidify our stories and create a very special, shareable experience.

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Boston Lifestyle + Professional Portrait Photography | Kari O'Briant

Boston Lifestyle + Professional Portrait Photography | Kari O'Briant

Happy Monday, friends! Have you ever heard of music therapy? If not, then you're in for a treat today!

Kari is a music therapist, and believe it or not, we met in college when we both went to Radford University in Virginia! After Kari and I had both graduated in our respective years, we both moved to Massachusetts unbeknownst to each other! We reunited up here not long after I arrived, and I'm so glad we've been able to keep in touch and have more fun times together!

One of those fun times includes the one where she emailed me and said she wanted new headshots, and I don't think I could have said yes any quicker! However, I didn't want these to be stale and boring, full of fake smiles and flat walls, so we decided to take a trip to Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain and play around (literally) with her guitar. You'll see lots of big smiles in Kari's photos, and that's because I kept asking her to tell me about her puppy, Reshi. Worked like a charm, and made us BOTH happy! 

Visit the full post to learn more about music therapy, and to read a glowing review from Kari after she received her photos!

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Methuen Day In The Life Family Session | The Casiello Family

Methuen Day In The Life Family Session | The Casiello Family

In this post you'll see: interactive book reading, silly faces and big smiles, snuggles with mom, dad playing with his kids as all good dads do (holding kids up in the air, flipping them around, and letting them climb all over him of course), a paper crown, and special appearances by the family cat. I'm so grateful to have been able to capture these sweet, loving moments of home life for this family that welcomed me in with open arms! Enjoy A Day In The Life of the Casiello Family!

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Boston Event Photography | Boston Ballet Ball

Boston Event Photography | Boston Ballet Ball

It was my absolute privilege to have the opportunity to photograph the Boston Ballet Ball this year alongside the talented Liza Voll! I can easily say this was the most fun, exciting, and beautiful event I have ever photographed. Gorgeous gowns and decor, amazing live music and dance performances, a live auction for a great cause, and a killer party to top off the evening. Truly an amazing night not to be missed!

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